Thursday, 3 December 2009

Cord #5

I said that there was no particular reason why I had chosen to do cord #1 when I did. It occurs to me now that there was a reason behind that decision. One of the 'rules' of Japanese embroidery is to start stitching on the left and work towards the right. We stitch with your left hand below the fabric and your right hand on top (another rule in Japanese Embroidery), this ensures that your hands are not resting on your completed work.

With cords 1, 2 and 3 stitched as far I a could without turning the frame, the next cord that I could start was cord #5. This cord is another single central braid this time worked in two strands of flat silk, red 108, the same as was cord #1.

This cord passes under other cords. In stead of an abrupt stop the stitching appears to fade out. The 'fade' is achieved by reducing the thickness of the thread while maintaining the spacing of the stitches. The effect is enhanced by skipping stitches or parts of stitches.